kerryjo
Newbie
Hi All M8 users
I bought an M8 last year and still can't get those really sharp images I expected to acheive with this camera. I live part of the time in the South of France and today we went out in Nice - fantastice light and great shooting conditions, so I took a few. I downloaded them into Capture One. They look okay until I zom in, then the images are just not that sharp. Is it me? Lens Summicron1:2/28
I bought an M8 last year and still can't get those really sharp images I expected to acheive with this camera. I live part of the time in the South of France and today we went out in Nice - fantastice light and great shooting conditions, so I took a few. I downloaded them into Capture One. They look okay until I zom in, then the images are just not that sharp. Is it me? Lens Summicron1:2/28
bottley1
only to feel
Don't forget screen resolution. Sometimes my images look quite unsharp on screen, but stunning when printed up
Richard Marks
Rexel
May I ask, is this your first rangefinder? If so it is probably you!
Camera shake is pretty high on the list, but with the 28mm lens in good light this is unlikely. Equally using the rangefinder system properly takes a bit of getting used to. Once you are familiar with it it is difficult to use anything else. The first time I borrowed an M6 it was a disaster and a good couple of years before i tried a rangefinder again. This time there was just one sharp image on the film but it was so increadibly sharp that I was hooked. Also I do not mean to be rude but are your eyes OK? If you are near to needing glasses it will affect your ability ot use a rangefinder (unless you get the finder corrected for you). It also affects how sharp the images look!!
You should be able to get very sharp images with the gear you have.
Best wishes
Richard
jaapv
RFF Sponsoring Member.
Welcome to the forum. The images from your M8 should be about the sharpest "out of the box" from all digital cameras. Could you post some examples, including 100% crops?
retow
Well-known
If possible, take your camera to a nearby dealer who either sells Leica, CV or Zeiss ZM lenses and try a few on your M8. As others said, with the M8, sharpness is definitely not an issue. The longer lenses (90mm) can be a little difficult to focus, but a 28mm is easy.
However, something could be off with your Cron 28, with the RF or potentially your eyesight.
However, something could be off with your Cron 28, with the RF or potentially your eyesight.
kbg32
neo-romanticist
Are you shooting RAW or jpeg? What are your camera settings?
Ronald M
Veteran
It is amazing how new people do not realize they need to sharpen the image.
adietrich
Established
Why would anybody want to sharpen images coming from the M8. There is no anti-aliasing filter.
I would first go and get a baseline and shoot a test target with 160ASA, faster than 1/250, between F4 and f8 using a TRIPOD.
-a
jasoncohen
Member
I would try shooting some on a tripod at f22 in broad daylight, just to make sure that it isn't something wrong with the actual camera..... I personally do not do any sharpening on my images, and I have no problem when regularly printing 16x20s from it.
RichC
Well-known
Not f/22 if you want sharpness, because of diffraction limiting: see http://lloydchambers.com/diglloyd/free/Diffraction/index.html. Use f/4-f/8 as mentioned above...
jasoncohen
Member
my images are pretty sharp at f22 
jaapv
RFF Sponsoring Member.
Sure? - you are well into diffraction at f22 and losing quite a lot of sharpness.
lilyblossom
Member
Someone mentioned going to a camera shop and trying some other lenses.
I have had to return 4 different lenses (3 Zeiss, 1 Leica) because the lens was not focusing correctly.
You can also test for this really easily by downloading the focus test chart from the following site.
http://focustestchart.com/
I will never buy another lens without checking it on my M8 in the shop with this chart.
I have had to return 4 different lenses (3 Zeiss, 1 Leica) because the lens was not focusing correctly.
You can also test for this really easily by downloading the focus test chart from the following site.
http://focustestchart.com/
I will never buy another lens without checking it on my M8 in the shop with this chart.
jplomley
Established
I have to corroborate with lilyblossom's observations. I picked up my M8 about three weeks ago and already had the ZM 35/2 Biogon. Absolutely cracking sharp on the M8. Wanting to expand my arsenal, off i went to the local Leica rep. I tried a ZM 21 and 25mm, and Leica 28/2 Cron Asph; just for fun i thought I would compare a 35 Cron Asph to my ZM 35/2 Biogon. Here is the breadown:
ZM 21 and 35 Cron: soft wide open and at all apertures to f/11
ZM 25 and 28 Cron: cracking sharp wide open and apertures up to f/11
ZM 35 vs Cron Asph: no comparison, the Biogon killed the Cron Asph, well, on my M8 anyway. Now we all know this should not be the case, so there is definately something amiss. So I went back the following week, and tried my ZM 35 vs 35/2 Biogon on another M8. Same result. Cron soft, Biogon a razor. This would suggest the camera is not at fault, but the tolerance on the lens mount perhaps? Regardless, this makes ordering lenses without trying first very risky, which is unfortunate b/c Tony Rose has several ZM lenses with the proper mounts for the requisite frame lines on the M8. But how many would one have to try before getting a good match?
As an aside, all images were captured in RAW and processed in C1 Pro. And yes, I know how to focus a rangefinder (I have been shooting with a Mamiya 7 for over five years).
ZM 21 and 35 Cron: soft wide open and at all apertures to f/11
ZM 25 and 28 Cron: cracking sharp wide open and apertures up to f/11
ZM 35 vs Cron Asph: no comparison, the Biogon killed the Cron Asph, well, on my M8 anyway. Now we all know this should not be the case, so there is definately something amiss. So I went back the following week, and tried my ZM 35 vs 35/2 Biogon on another M8. Same result. Cron soft, Biogon a razor. This would suggest the camera is not at fault, but the tolerance on the lens mount perhaps? Regardless, this makes ordering lenses without trying first very risky, which is unfortunate b/c Tony Rose has several ZM lenses with the proper mounts for the requisite frame lines on the M8. But how many would one have to try before getting a good match?
As an aside, all images were captured in RAW and processed in C1 Pro. And yes, I know how to focus a rangefinder (I have been shooting with a Mamiya 7 for over five years).
jplomley
Established
Forgot to add, I also tried a 50 Lux pre-Asph; at f/1.4 the back of my wifes' ears were in focus, not the eyes. Too bad, this lens was creamy smooth and I really really wanted to buy it.
jaapv
RFF Sponsoring Member.
It is quite possible. Film is far more forgiving of small focussing errors in lenses than a sensor (+ 100% crop
)jplomley
Established
If there was a focussing error due to my inability to focus an M8, then all lenses would have furnished soft results, and this was not the case. There is something else going on when the lens/M8 partnership fails.
jaapv
RFF Sponsoring Member.
I said: focussing errors in lenses, not users . The tolerances in lensmounts and helicoids obviously need to be tightened up. Also designs like the Summilux 35 asph and Noctilux, that show focus shift, are struggling.
. The tolerances in lensmounts and helicoids obviously need to be tightened up. Also designs like the Summilux 35 asph and Noctilux, that show focus shift, are struggling.